Monday, January 28, 2008

Local lady a guest at State of Union tonight

The White House this morning announced the list of guests sitting in the First Lady's box.

These tend to be "real people" the President uses to emphasize a point in his speech. Looks like Ms. Ball will illustrate efforts to fight foreclosure.

Here's the White House release:

GUEST LIST FOR THE FIRST LADY'S BOXAT THE 2008 STATE OF THE UNIONMrs. Laura Bush

Barbara Bush

Jenna Bush

Mrs. Lynne Cheney

Lori Ball, Homemaker (Brookville, Indiana)Lori Ball is a stay-at-home mom of four children, two of whom still live with her in Brookville, Indiana. In 2005, her husband, Carey Ball, had back surgery and was out of work for six months recovering.

Shortly after, Mr. Ball lost his job as his company was downsizing, and the Balls began to fall behind on their house payments. Creditors began to call frequently, and Mrs. Ball and her husband did not know where to turn. Carey and Lori Ball then received in the mail an information package from their mortgage provider, Wells Fargo, and from HOPE NOW, an alliance of counselors, servicers, investors, and other mortgage market participants whose aim is to help homeowners stay in their homes.

In addition, Lori Ball saw President Bush speak on television about the HOPE NOW Alliance. The President communicated to Americans that help could be a phone call away. Mr. Ball called the number, and their family received the help needed to restructure their mortgage and save their home. Mrs. Ball is appreciative for the help the HOPE NOW Alliance provided her family, and she encourages other Americans facing troubles with their mortgage to contact their lender or a credit counselor at 888-995-HOPE.

Leave it to good old Carl, whose effusive, gushing minute-by-minute "reporting" of each and every iota of Bush's motorcade making it's way through town made him a laughing stock, to find a "local" connect to the SOTU excessive in futility. Even though she's not local. Even though this foolish woman is being used and manipulated by the very man who is a major cause of her current crisis. How pathetic for all involved.

She probably couldn't declare bankruptcy thanks to Bush's bankruptcy "reform", and there's no so-called "welfare" (to use ignorant republican poster #1's term) available for middle or lower middle-class families. We are simply screwed, while the richest 1% get richer, pay 15% on their fat capital gains and earn it all on the backs of the middle classes. It's time to bring back the guillotine folks.

I guess that's why billionaire Warren Buffet recently commented about the unfairness of the Bush tax cuts. He stated that he is taxed at 17.7% on the $46 million he made last year, without trying to avoid paying higher taxes, while his secretary, who earned $60,000, was taxed at 30%.

http://tusb.stanford.edu/2007/07/warren_buffet_has_a_lower_tax.html

The middle class did not receive any real tax relief from the Bush tax cuts. The cuts went almost exclusively to the top 1-2% income earners.

I bet that Anon 6:22 is one of the pretend rich who are living on their credit cards and now extinct home equity. It's amazing how these people drink the right wing kool aid and think that they are going to be rich one day. dream on Anon, dream on. What are you going to do when that home equity disappears?

The profit from that investment is is income, and you haven't been taxed on that income at all. You paid taxes on the principle amount you initially invested, but any profit above that amount should be taxed as regular income, because that's what it is.

Buffet's comments speaks for itself. Bush's tax cuts have only benefited the top income earners. The middle class gets hosed.

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